It's been tough to get Japanese distributors for the film because of the controversy it generated in the country. The doc, directed by Louie Psihoyos, is about the international dolphin capture trade practiced in Taiji, Japan.
The movie was previously screened at the 2009 Tokyo Film Festival to a sold-out audience.
This is a big win for Psihoyos and his team who has been focusing on the film's impact over the award recognition it's been getting. When Psihoyos heard about his Oscar nom, he told the IDA exclusively: "The reason the Oscar nomination is so important for me is because it's the most watched program in Japanese television. I didn't get into movies to win awards. I got into making this movie to start a movement to save the ocean. I've been trying to give the oceans a voice and an Oscar nomination amplifies that voice."
In other Cove/award news, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has determined the nominee credits for the Best Documentary Feature nominee. The Academy's Documentary Branch Executive Committee announced yesterday that the official nominees are director Louie Psihoyos and producer Fisher Stevens.
In a statement, the Academy said, "(R)ules for the documentary feature category state that a maximum of two persons may be designated as nominees, one of whom must be the credited director, and the other of whom must have a producer or director credit."